Princess of What?
by SkyGem
Summary: FemRyo. What if Ryoma wasn't only the prince of tennis, but also the princess of kung fu? What if she wasn't fully Japanese, but also half Chinese? What if none of the Seigaku regulars knew this? And what if she just so happened to have a month long...
1. Saying Goodbye

Summary: What if Ryoma wasn't only the prince of tennis, but also the **princess** of kung fu? What if she wasn't fully Japanese, but also half Chinese? What if none of the Seigaku regulars knew this? And what if she just so happened to have a month long family reunion at the same time that her school decided to have a trip to China for the third years, and a select few second years? Will she be able to keep her secret a secret? Well, more than likely not, but this is Ryoma we're talking about, so who knows? You'll just have to find out by reading Princess of What?

SkyGem: Hey guys! Okay, so I probably shouldn't be starting another story when I have so many going on, but I just had an awesome idea, and just wanted to get it out. I hope you guys like it, and if you're wondering why I'm doing another China related fic, well, lately I've been obsessed with this one manga called Kenji, about a high school kid who is learning a Chinese kung fu, and goes to China to look for his grandfather. It's a really good manga if you're into kung fu and karate and all that kind of stuff, and another good thing about it is that it's updated every other day, so you don't have to wait too long for the next chapter. Well, enough with my babbling, onto the story!  
_

**Ryoma**

"Umm, Ryuuzaki-sensei?" I asked, walking into the club room.

Looking up, she smiled and said, "Ryoma, is there anything I can do for you?"

Fidgeting a bit, I said, "Well, I'm just here to inform you that I won't be able to come to club activities for about a month."

Looking worried, she said, "Oh? Is there something wrong?"

Shaking my head, I said, "No, no, there's nothing wrong. It's just that I'm taking a short break from school because I have to go to a family reunion for a month."

"A whole month?" she asked, surprised.

A bit embarrassed, I nodded my head and said, "We have the reunion every two years, and it's for a month because my grandfather, who is the head of the family, thinks it's necessary to be closely bonded, and he thinks that sticking us together for a whole month will do that."

Nodding in understanding, she said, "I see. So, when are you leaving, and when can we expect you back?"

Sighing in relief that the hardest part was over, I said, "We're leaving in three days, and we'll be back roughly around the eighth of next month."

She nodded, and wrote something down, then looked up and said, "Okay then. I hope you have fun at the reunion, be sure to come see me before you leave."

Nodding my head, I smiled, and said, "Of course."

I then turned and went outside for after school practice.  
_

A few hours later, when practice was over and I was heading home, I was stopped by Momo. "Yo, Ryoma! Let's go to that new burger joint! Eiji-sempai said that he'd treat us!"

"Sorry, Momo-sempai, but I can't. I'm busy today."

Looking as if I had said that funniest joke in the world, he started laughing and said, "Oh, that's a good joke! Now come on! We have to get there before the line gets too big, it's really popular!"

"Momo-sempai, I said I can't go! I really am too busy, sorry."

He looked at me as if I had lost my mind and said, "What could be more important than food?"

"Well, my family and I are going away in a few days, and I have to get home and start packing."

"Whaaaat? Ochibi-chan is moving? Whyyyyy!" shouted Eiji, bringing all the others over.

Sighing, I said, "No, I'm not moving, I'm just going away for a family reunion. I'll be back in a month."

"One whole month?" asked Oishi.

"That's right, now if you'll excuse me, I have to go get packing."  
_

Over the next two days, people seemed to be under the misapprehension that I was moving (thanks to Eiji's shouting), so I had to keep explaining, but, after the longest two days of my life were finally over, it was finally time to go back to China!

"Ryoma! Get down here! Or we'll be late for our plane!" shouted Ryoga from downstairs.

"Coming!" I called, putting on the finishing touches of my make up.

As soon as I got downstairs, Ryoga looked at me, grinned, and said, "Well, well, well, looks like I've got my little sister back!"

Giggling, I said, "That's right! I'm so glad I can stop pretending for a little while."

"Me too," he said, grinning widely. "Now, whenever I dote on you, or treat you like a girl, nobody will think I'm weird! Anyways, you're much cuter like this!"

Smiling sweetly, I said, "Thank you, onii-chan. Now let's go, or we'll be late!"

"Yeah, yeah," he said as we joined our waiting parents in the car.  
_

Finally, around four and a half hours later, we had landed at the airport in Hong Kong, and were on our way to my grandfather's residence. After about half an hour of driving, we turned onto a little used path, and into a forest. We drove quite a few ways in, but after about ten minutes of driving, we arrived at an old, temple looking house. It was absolutely huge, and had a huge parking lot, which was empty except for three cars, which I recognized to be my cousins'. We had arrived a bit early, it seemed, but that didn't deter me, as I jumped right out of the car yelling, "Yeye(1)!"  
_

SkyGem: Okay, so the first chapter is a bit short, but the others will be longer. So, how did you like it? Please review and tell me what you thought.

(1) Yeye- means grandfather.


	2. Hong Kong

SkyGem: Yay! Thanks for all the reviews! You're all so kind! I just wanted to say that a few of the details from this story are borrowed from mangaadict300's story "A Tigers Lullaby." It's a Skip Beat fanfic., and if any of you read Skip Beat, I suggest you read her awesome story too if you have the chance. Anyways, on to the story!  
_

**Ryoma**

"Yeye!" I called, running up to the dojo.

Out walked a man who looked to be in his thirties, but I knew better. Seeing him, I smiled widely, and said, "Yeye!" then ran up to him and hugged him. "I've missed you!"

"I've missed you too, Rui," he said, using my nickname. At the dojo, all of us who had names that weren't Chinese were given Chinese nicknames. Not because it was necessary, but because it was fun.

"Yo! Yeye!" called Ryoga, running up to hug him too.

"Yan! You've grown much!" said my grandfather, using Ryoga's nickname.

"Heh, thanks yeye! Now let's go in!"

"Hold on a minute, young man," said Nat (grandpa). "Hand over the electronics!"

Groaning, Yan (I'm going to use their nicknames from now on, if you don't mind) said, "I was hoping you'd forget." Slowly, he took out his iPod, phone, and handheld.

The reason he had to give them up was because that was one of the rules here. There were only 4 rules. Number 1: No electronics except for a CD player (and of course the CD's), which was already located in the room. Number 2: We always had to speak Chinese, no Japanese, Italian, Spanish, Greek, and English (our family are very scattered, and most aren't fully Chinese) or any of the exotic languages that my scholar cousin, Akia, knew, so that everybody understood. Number 3: No going off into the forest alone. Number 4: No bullying each other, or Bao, our pet boa (self explanatory).

After Yan had given up the electronics, we all went in, and Yan asked, "Who's arrived so far?"

"Your aunt Linn, and her sons Aang and Lee, your cousin Akia and her son Cái, and your uncle En Lai and his wife Mai."

"I'm going to go see Bao!" I called, running to where I thought they would be.

As I arrived at the huge courtyard in the middle of the dojo, I saw a huge, 9 foot long boa basking in the sun. "Bao!" I called, running up to him. The boa merely raised it's head and looked at me through lazy eyes. When he realized that it was me that had called him, he slithered over to me, wrapping his long body around my legs, looking for attention. Laughing, I bent down and pat his head. "Hey, Bao! How you doing buddy? You sure have grown pretty big!"

My only response was a satisfied hiss. I giggled, thinking how much he reminded me of Kaido-sempai; so tough and scary looking, but a total softy at heart. As he slowly unwound himself from around my legs, I couldn't help but think of that day, more than 6 years ago, when I had found him as a baby, no longer than a foot long.

_Flashback_

"_Ah!" I exclaimed as I tripped over a short, hose like thing. Taking a closer look, I saw that it was a bleeding snake. Worried, I put my hand out to touch it. It didn't move. Panicking, I took off my jacket and wrapped the tiny snake in it. Being careful not to jostle it too much, I carried the poor little thing back to the dojo, where I was staying with my brother over summer break. _

_When I got back to the dojo, I had yeye look him over, and treat his injuries, not once moving from his side. As soon as he was healed, the snake followed me around everywhere. Apparently, he thought I was his mother. I begged, and begged for yeye to keep him, and he finally broke down. I named him Bao, and soon, we were the best of friends, and I was heartbroken when I had to leave him behind._

_End Flashback_

I was still thinking of that day, when suddenly, a pair of hands covered my eyes, and a familiar voice asked, "Guess who!"

"Hmm," I said, pretending to think. "Oh, I don't know, could it be, Aang?"

As soon as I said his name, his tiny hands were removed from my eyes, and my adorable six year old cousin Aang was standing in front of me. "That's right!" he said in his cute, six year olds voice.

Smiling, I caught him into a hug, "Nice to see you again, Aang, how you doing, kid?"

"I'm doing good!" he said as soon as I released him from the hug. "I just started grade one!" he said proudly.

"Wow! Grade one already?" I said, trying to sound impressed.

He smiled happily, and said, "Yup!"

"That's really cool!" I said, still acting impressed. "Then do you know what's four plus six?"

His face screwed up, and became really determined, then he said, "Ten!"

I smiled. "Wow! You're right!" He giggled happily. Then, a thought came to mind. "Hey, Aang? Where's Lee?" I asked, inquiring after his 15 year old brother.

"I'm right here," came a voice from behind me, and I turned to see a pretty good looking young man behind me. Smiling, I got up and went to hug him. "It's good to see you again, Lee."

Hugging back, he said, "You too, Rui! It's been ages!"

"I know! So, how's auntie Linn?" I asked him. From there, we talked about parents and siblings, about school and friends, and lot's of other things. Before I had realized how much time had passed, it was already dusk, and the entire family had arrived. You know what that meant? It meant, six aunts and uncles with their respective spouses, about sixteen cousins, and ten nieces and nephews (cousins kids), which meant 40 people in all. The whole Echizen clan was in our yeye's dojo, and it suddenly seemed pretty crowded. I decided to head over to my room and relax a little before dinner. Although, by the time I got there, I had been stopped about six times by an aunt or uncle or cousin who wanted to say hello, or who needed a tiny favour. When I finally did get to my bedroom, there were only ten minutes left until dinner, so I thankfully plopped down onto my bed, and just relaxed. So far, this reunion was going great.  
_

SkyGem: Well, that's it. Chapter 2 is done! Now, I know you guys may be a bit confused, so here's a list of all the characters you've met so far, with their ages, and relation to Ryoma.

Ryoma/Rui- 13 years old. Main character.

Ryoga/Yan- 17 years old. Ryoma's older brother.

Bao- 7 years old. 9 foot long. Boa constrictor. Male. Ryoma's pet.

Akia- 25 years old. Ryoma's eldest cousin. Female.

Cái- 2 years old. Akia's only child. Ryoma's cousin. Male.

Mai- 30 years old. Ryoma's aunt. Married into the family. No kids.

En Lai- 32 years old. Ryoma's uncle. Married to Mai. Third son of the family. Fifth eldest.

Nat- 69 years old. Ryoma's grandfather. Looks to be in his thirties. Has seven children.

Aang- 6 years old. Ryoma's cousin. One of two children.

Lee- 15 years old. Ryoma's cousin. Aang's older brother.

Linn- 40 years old. Ryoma's aunt. Widowed. First daughter. Eldest.


	3. Meeting the Family

SkyGem: Hey! Thanks to all who reviewed on the last chapter! Also, thanks to queenruby987's review, I came up with the awesome idea for this chapter, so be sure to thank her! Also, before I forget again

Disclaimer: I know this should have been in the first chapter, but I kind of forgot, so, I'm putting it here. I do not own any of the characters you recognize, and also one or two of the characters you don't recognize, since I borrowed a few of them from Tigers Lullaby. But, everyone else and most of the plot are mine.

Anyways, now that that's out of the way, on to the story!  
_

**Ryoma**

When the dinner gong rang, I had already changed into a pair of black sweatpants, and a black tank top. I was pretty hungry, so I hurriedly washed my hands and hurried to the 'dining room.' When I got there, I sat down and waited for everyone else to arrive. A few seconds later, when everyone was here, except a few of the babies, who were asleep, I was about to start eating, when I saw that yeye didn't start. Confused, I asked, "Yeye, everyone's here, can't we start eating?"

He looked at me, then shook his head. "Not everyone has arrived." I must have looked as confused as I felt, because he said, "You see, awhile ago, your aunt Jia Li remarried a little while ago to a man who already had a son from his first marriage, and her son has yet to arrive."

Hearing that auntie Jia Li had remarried really surprised me. I hadn't heard anything about it, which was unusual, because you there were no secrets in our family, no one bothered, because they would be found out sooner or later. "Then why is auntie here, but not her son?" I asked.

"Her son, who took over the business when her new husband died, had a business meeting today, so she came before him. Although, he should be here soon."

This time, I kept quiet, saddened at the thought that my aunt had been widowed not once now, but twice! I had just decided to become friends with her orphaned son, when suddenly, someone rushed into the room. All eyes turned to the newcomer as he bowed low, and said in perfect Chinese, "I am deeply sorry that I have arrived late."

I was surprised at how familiar his voice sounded. When he came out of his bow, I got a huge shock. He was indeed someone I knew. "A-Atobe?" I asked.

Looking towards me, he seemed equally as shocked as I was. "R-Ryoma?" he asked.

"What are you doing here?" we both said in unison.

"Oh? It seems you already know Rui," said yeye to Atobe. "That's wonderful. Why don't you go sit with her, she can be your guide while we're all staying here."

Looking a bit confused, he walked over to me, and sat down. Finally, now that everyone was here, we were all allowed to start eating. Within seconds, everyone was digging in to the delicious food and making a huge raucous. I also tried to eat, but was distracted by Atobe's staring. Sighing, I turned to him and said, "I'll explain everything after dinner, okay? For now, just eat."

He nodded his head, and silently started eating.

**Atobe**

When finally arrived at the dojo where the reunion was supposedly being held, it was already pretty dark, and I was a bit hesitant to go in. Gathering all my courage, I parked my car in the parking lot, and went in. The whole place seemed pretty quiet, so I took a look at the time, and saw that, right now, everyone would be eating. Putting my bags down right there, I rushed to the nearest bathroom, washed my hands, then headed towards where I thought the dining room would be. When finally I got there, I rushed in, bowed, and said, "I am deeply sorry that I have arrived late."

There was quiet, but, when I came out of my bow, I heard a voice ask, "A-Atobe?"

Looking towards the source of the voice, and saw a pretty looking girl with green hair and amber eyes. At first, I was confused, then, with a shock, I recognized her. "R-Ryoma?" I asked, confused. Why was Ryoma here? And more importantly, why was he a girl?

"What are you doing here?" I asked at the same time as her.

"Oh? It seems you already know Rui," said the one I assumed to be Nat, the head of the family. "That's wonderful. Why don't you go sit with her, she can be your guide while we're all staying here."

I slowly went over to her, and sat down, and within moments, everyone had started eating and talking, as if nothing unusual had happened, but I couldn't stop staring t Ryoma.

Sighing, she turned to face me, and said, "I'll explain everything after dinner, okay? For now, just eat."

Satisfied that I would be getting an explanation, I stopped staring at her, and started eating.  
_

After dinner was finished, and most had drifted away, I walked with Ryoma. After a while, we arrived in a courtyard in the middle of the dojo. I followed her to one of the many benches and sat down.

She looked at me for a few seconds, then started explaining, "So I'm guessing you want to know why I'm a girl?"

I nodded. "Fine, the truth is, in our family, all the girls are required to live for at least one years as a guy."

"Why?" I asked, confused.

"Because, our family is one of those traditional, martial arts families. We all learn at least one form of martial arts from when we are little. And you see, most people treat girls so easily and everything because they think we're so delicate, and breakable, so, to measure our strength, our family sees how we fair as boys. If we can make it through one year as a boy, then we're fine, and our training goes on as usual, but if we can't, then our training is changed to something that better suits our needs."

"But, isn't that unfair?" I asked her.

Shaking her head, she said, "Not really. You see, most of us actually enjoy it, and, really, it's just because our family are so overprotective. They want to make sure that their precious children are strong enough to handle anything. They want to know that, even if something happens to them, their children are well protected, and we are. If one of us are orphaned, we are either taken in by an aunt or uncle, or by the head of the family, none of us are ever left on our own, it's the way our family works."

I looked at her, awed at the closeness of my new family. But, even though everyone had treated me so kindly, I felt a bit out of place in this tightly knit family. Ryoma must have seen it too, because she said, "Don't worry. It's not a matter of blood, in our family. If you follow the rules, and show the proper respect, I'm sure everyone will love you."

I smiled at her, grateful. I was about to say something else, when a huge snake slithered out into the courtyard, and headed straight for Ryoma. Ryoma saw it at the same time I did, and she smiled. "Bao!" she called out to it. It came up, and wrapped itself around her legs. "Say hello to Bao, our pet boa," she said, looking up at me.

"You have a pet snake?" I asked.

She smiled, and said, "That's right. I found him about seven years ago, and he's been raised here, so he's pretty much harmless."

I tentatively reached out my hand, and he came towards me, and rubbed his head against my hand. I laughed and said, "I was wondering how you weren't scared of that viper punk at your school."

She laughed too, and said, "That's right. It comes from years of practice. They're both scary on the surface, but all cuddly on the inside."

After I had stopped laughing, a thought came to me. "Ne, Echizen? Who-"

But I was cut off by her saying, "Hey, don't call me Echizen, 'cause that'll just confuse people. Remember? Everyone here is an Echizen. Call me Rui."

"Rui?" I asked.

"Rui is my nickname. Everyone who doesn't have a Chinese name is given one. So, from now on, you will be…" she paused to think a while, then said, "Keung."

"Keung?"

"It means universe. Do you like it?"

"I love it!"

"Great, so, what were you going to say?" she asked.

"Well, I was wondering, after yeye, who's going to be the head of the family? Will it be his oldest son or something?"

She was quiet for a while, then, in a quiet voice, she said, "No, the head gets to choose who will succeed him, and he's picked me. I'm going to be the next head of the family."

Surprised, I asked, "You?"

She nodded, and said, "It seems that, ever since the day I was born, it's been my destiny to become the next head."

"I see," I said, not knowing what to say next.

"Now, come on," she said. "It's time to go to sleep. I'll show you to your room." I nodded, and silently followed her to my temporary room.

Before leaving, she smiled at me, and said, "Goodnight, Keung."

I smiled back, and said, "Goodnight, Rui."  
_

SkyGem: Well, now you know a bit of how their family works! Please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter. Oh, and don't forget to thank queenruby987. Well, see you next chapter! ^_^

Jia Li- 39 years old. Ryoma's aunt. Atobe's stepmother. Widowed twice. Atobe's her only child. Second daughter. Third Oldest.

Atobe/Keung- 15 years old. Ryoma's cousin by marriage. Only child.

P.S. If I make any mistakes with all the relations, like if I say two different people are the oldest or second oldest or something, please tell me, even I get a bit confused at times.


	4. A Crush is Born

**Ryoma**

"Keung! Hurry up! It's time for breakfast!" I called to him.

Coming out of his room, he said, "Sorry, sorry, I accidentally slept in too late."

I giggled. "Whatever. Let's go!"

It had been a week since the reunion had started, and I was having tons of fun. Keung and I had become incredibly close. We explored the forest almost everyday, and sometimes, some of our other cousins, Lee being among them, would come with us. It was kinda cute, because, before Keung had come, Lee and I had been really close, and it was fun to see him get jealous.

"Hey, Rui?" asked Keung, snapping me out of my thoughts.

Turning to look at him, I said, "Hm?"

"I was wondering, instead of exploring the forest, why don't we go to the city today?"

"The city?" I asked.

"Yeah! I haven't been there before, and I would really like to see it. So, what do you think?"

I thought about it for a second, then said, "Sure! It's been quite a while since I've been there! Let's go together!"

"Go where?" asked Lee, walking up to us.

"We're going to the city today! Wanna come?"

Looking excited, he said, "I'd love to!"

And so, after breakfast, we all headed out to the city, though by this time, we had quite a group with us. It was no longer just Keung, Lee, and I. Cousin Akia had decided to come too, which meant her son Cái would also be coming. Lee's younger brother Aang had begged to come along too, along with his friend Lan. Auntie Hua and her daughter Meimei had decided to come too.

We went in auntie Hua's and cousin Akia's cars. Keung, Lee, Cái, and I were all in Aki's car, and Aang, Lan, and Meimei all went in auntie Hua's car.

When we arrived, we broke off into smaller groups and went our separate ways after agreeing to meet back up for lunch in a few hours.

"Hey, let's go to that clothes shop over there!" I said.

"Yeah, let's go! Let's go!" said Meimei excitedly from beside me."

"Please?" I asked the guys, looking at them pleadingly with huge eyes.

"F-fine," they both said, looking a bit staggered.

I smiled sweetly at them and said, "Thank you!"  
_

About half an hour later, we exited the clothes shop, much to the relief of the boys, and found an ice cream shop to rest at.

We chose a booth near the back and sat down. While Meimei and I both ordered strawberry milkshakes, the guys ordered chocolate sundaes and dug in.

A few minutes later, while we were all eating, I heard the door open, and looked up. When I saw who it was, I froze in place. A huge group of junior high students had all just walked in, wearing the Seigaku school uniform, but that wasn't the reason I froze. The reason for that was, even though they were all second and third years, I recognized them, they were the Seigaku tennis team regulars.

**Momo**

Since today was the first day of our field trip, they had given us a free day, so we were allowed to do anything we wanted for the whole day as long as long as we were back at the hotel by 6. We spent an hour or so just wandering, but when we found an ice cream store, Eiji forced us all to go in.

We walked in and chose a booth somewhere near the back, next to a group of four students who looked to be our age. I idly wondered why they weren't in school at the moment, and didn't notice as one of the girls turned her head and hid behind one of the guys.

We sat down and ordered our sundaes, and while we were waiting for our orders, I heard a familiar voice from behind me ask something in Chinese.

I turned around to see who the voice belonged to, and was surprised to see that it belonged to a purple haired fellow who I recognized all too well. "Atobe?" I asked, shocked.

He looked up at me, and realization seemed to dawn on his face, and he said, "Hello, Momoshiro-san."

"What are you doing here?" asked Eiji, who had turned around by now.

"I'm here visiting my stepfamily," he said.

"Stepfamily?" I asked, confused.

He nodded, "My father remarried before he died, and now I'm here with my mother for her family reunion."

"I see, and here I thought you had finally found yourself a girlfriend and were playing hooky," I teased.

The girl beside him, whom I had just noticed, stopped hiding, and giggled, saying something in Chinese. He blushed furiously, and said something back to her, and I was surprised to see how relaxed he was with her. This was the first time I had seen him drop his guard so entirely.

From what I could see, the girl was really pretty, and I couldn't help but blush. "So," I said, trying to sound casual. "Would you please introduce us to your family?" I asked.

He looked down at the girl beside him, and said something to her. She nodded and said something back to him, and he turned to us.

Gesturing to the girl sitting across from him, right in front of me, he said, "She is Meimei, she's 13 and doesn't know much Japanese..."

The girl turned to me and said, "Hi!"

She was quite pretty, with huge brown eyes, and shoulder-length brown hair that was a bit wavy at the bottom. I smiled and said, "Hi," the others echoing me.

"This is Lee, he's 15 and knows a little more Japanese than Meimei does…" he said, continuing to a good looking guy with brown eyes framed with long lashes that gave him a feminine look, and short, black hair.

Lee smiled at us and said, "Nice to meet you."

I and the others nodded and replied with, "Nice to meet you too."

Finally, he gestured to the girl sitting beside him, and said, "And finally, this is Rui. She's 13, and is the most fluent in Japanese." The girl finally looked up for the first time, and I almost gasped. She had beautiful golden eyes framed with long lashes, and a cute, pixie like face. She had a bit of make up on, but not that much, and her short, greenish-black hair was clipped behind her head in a half ponytail, with her bangs loose. In short, she was beautiful, but, that wasn't what had surprised me. She looked so much like Ryoma that, if I didn't know better, I would think she was him.

She smiled sweetly, and said in a soft voice, "It's nice to meet you."

This one sentence made me all but certain that she wasn't Ryoma, she was too nice to be him. So I smiled back at her, and said, "It's nice to meet you too, Rui-chan."  
_

SkyGem: Sorry, it took me a while, but chapter 4 is out. Did you like it? Please review and tell me what you thought. In the next chapter, the Seigaku regulars hang out a bit with Ryoma and the gang, so look forward to it!

Hua- 31 years old. Ryoma's aunt. Has one daughter. Third Daughter. Sixth eldest.

Meimei- 13 years old. Ryoma's cousin. Only child. Hua's daughter.

Lan- 5 years old. Ryoma's cousin. Only child. Parents unintroduced as of yet.


	5. Who's Coming Where?

SkyeSyren: Hey all! Yay, I'm finally updating this one! Haha, lately, I've been really busy, so I haven't exactly been updating very much, but, I'm finally able to get this chapter out! I hope you like it. Please review, and tell me what you thought, ne?

* * *

**Atobe**

We had been eating our ice cream, enjoying ourselves, when suddenly Rui let out a small squeak, and hid her head behind my back.

Looking down at her, I asked, "Rui? Is there something wrong?"

She didn't say anything and I was about to repeat my question when I heard someone from the table next to ours say, "Atobe?"

Looking up, I saw Momoshiro and the other Seigaku regulars, and realization dawned. "Hello, Momoshiro-san," I said evenly.

Turning around, the redhead named Eiji asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here visiting my stepfamily," I replied.

"Stepfamily?" asked Momoshiro, seeming confused.

I fought the urge to tell them to get lost, and said, "My father remarried before he died, and now I'm here with my mother for her family reunion."

"I see, and here I thought you had finally found yourself a girlfriend and were playing hooky," teased Momoshiro.

Suddenly, Rui poked her head back out and giggled. "He's got a point, you know? With your personality, that's the first conclusion I would have jumped to if I were him," she said, causing me to blush furiously.

"What kind of person do you think I am? I would never skip school for a date!"

Giggling again, she said, "But that blush says otherwise."

I was about to reply when suddenly, we were interrupted by Momoshiro saying, "So, would you please introduce us to your family?"

Looking down at Rui, I said, "Do you think I should? They'll find out who you are."

Nodding to my question, she said, "Just give them my Chinese name."

I nodded back, then turned to the others, and introduced Meimei and Lee. They seemed interested enough, but when it came to Rui, they seemed to be more attentive.

After I introduced her, she smiled sweetly at them, and said in a soft voice, "It's nice to meet you."

It was hard not to laugh. She must really not want them to know who she was, for her to be acting so out of character.

Everyone seemed startled for a bit, then Momoshiro smiled, and said, "It's nice to meet you too, Rui-chan."

Hearing him say that, I finally got the hint, and realized that he liked her.

After that, we talked quite a bit, and as we talked, all 8 of the Seigaku regulars seemed to get more and more infatuated with her. After about an hour or two, cousin Akia's group showed up, and it was time for us to part ways. As the regulars all reluctantly said their goodbyes, I watched on in amusement.

Once we were back in the car, Rui slumped back, and sighed, obviously relieved.

"You have no idea how tiring that was."

I just laughed, and said, "Looks like you've gained some admirers."

Looking at me, she said, "That's not even funny."

"Sure it is. I mean, imagine how funny it will be when they find out that you're actually Ryoma."

"You mean if."

Shaking my head, I said, "No, I mean when. You can't keep it a secret forever, and anyways, you're one year is almost up."

She nodded thoughtfully, "Well, that's true."

From there we moved on to lighter topics, and before we knew it, we had arrived at the dojo. Stepping out of the car, we headed toward the courtyard, but were stopped by Nat.

"Is there something wrong, yeye?" I asked.

He just smiled, and said, "Nothing at all, dear one. But, while you 9 were gone, you missed an announcement."

"Announcement? About what?" asked Rui from beside me.

Talking to all of us, he said, "Just after you all left this morning, we received a call requesting that a group of Japanese middle schoolers be allowed to visit our dojo, as it is a historical landmark that has belonged to our family for centuries."

Hearing the phrase 'Japanese middle schoolers,' I looked down at Rui and whispered, "Do you think it's-?"

Shaking her head slightly, she continued looking at Nat, whispering, "No. It can't be."

Not noticing our little exchange, or perhaps choosing to ignore it, Nat continued. "Starting from the day after tomorrow, and for a week afterwards, the second and third year students of Seishun Gakuen will be coming to our home to learn of our past, and our traditions."

Hearing this, I couldn't help but laugh a slightly hysterical laugh.

Looking at me, not unkindly, Nat asked, "Is there something funny, Keung?"

Stifling my laughter, I said, "Sorry, yeye, it's just that, the school that Rui goes to is Seishun Gakuen."

Looking at her, surprised, he asked, "Is it really?"

Rui nodded. "And to make matters worse, my sempai-tachi from the boys' tennis team are there."

Nat just smiled, and patted her on the shoulder, saying, "Do not worry, granddaughter. Everything will be fine. This is a big place, and there are many people here. They will not recognize you."

She just nodded from beside me, and said, "I hope so."

"Except that she's already met them as a girl, and all 8 of them have a crush on her," I interrupted.

At this, Nat looked almost as amused as I had felt, and said, "Well, granddaughter, it seems you have got yourself into a tough position, but I know you will get yourself out."

Then, he kissed her on the forehead, and walked away.

I looked down at her, and smirked, "And who knows, maybe by the end of all this, you'll have a boyfriend(s)."

Looking up at me, she said, "Did I just hear boyfriends?"

I shook my head. "You heard boyfriend(s)," I said, then turned around and took off.

Chasing after me, she yelled, "That's the same thing, baka!"

* * *

SkyeSyren: Aww, poor Ryoma. Anyways, please review, and tell me what you thought! Also, I'll be opening a poll on my profile for pairing ideas. So hurry up and vote, damnit!...Later minna-san! And Happy (almost…at least where I am) New Year to all!


	6. Ryoma's Cousin

**Ryoma**

Rolling onto my stomach, I groggily opened my eyes, and looked out the window. Judging from the angle the sunlight was shining through it, I guessed it was almost 10. I had missed breakfast.

Wondering why no one had come to wake me up, I made my bed and headed to the washroom.

About twenty minutes later, I emerged wearing a pair of baggy black sweatpants and a black tank top. My hair, which I hadn't bothered to blow-dry, was in pigtails and my feet were bare.

On my way down to the kitchen, I heard the normal everyday sounds of our dojo; people training in their respective martial arts, teenagers relaxing with siblings and cousins alike and talking about their lives back home, and the toddlers who were here for the first time were running around, getting to know each other by playing silly games.

Opening the door to the dining room, I nearly got a heart attack. In the dining room were many, many students wearing the Seigaku uniform. Immediately, all heads turned to me. Realizing that it was too late to get away unnoticed, I calmly walked around the perimeter of the room on my way to the kitchen. The whole time, every head in the room was following me. As soon as I closed the door, I sank to the floor, silently berating myself for forgetting that they were coming.

After a few moments, I got up and went looking for something to eat, hoping that my sempai-tachi hadn't been there, or if they were, that they hadn't recognized me.

After getting an apple to eat from the fridge, I slipped out a side door and went looking for Keung.

* * *

**Fuji**

I stared at the now closed door that the girl from before had just walked through.

"Was that who I thought it was?" asked Momo from beside me.

"That depends," I replied. "Who did you think it was?"

"Rui," he said, speaking everyone's thoughts.

"But that would mean that she's an Echizen," said Eiji, confused.

_Flashback_

"_Gather around everyone!" called Ryuuzaki-sensei, who was one of the teachers chaperoning us. "Tomorrow, we will all be visiting a very important historical site belonging to one of the oldest families around here, the Echizens."_

_Upon hearing this, I looked over at the others to make sure I had heard right. Apparently, I had, because everyone had the same astonished looks on their faces._

"_Well," said Eiji. "It's not like it's impossible for there to be another Echizen family, is there?"_

"_That's right!" said Momo. "They probably just have the same name. I mean, our Echizen is Japanese after all."_

_End Flashback_

"And she looks so much like Ryoma," said Momo.

"I got it!" exclaimed Eiji suddenly, making me start.

I looked over at him in curiosity and he said, "Ochibi-chan said that he had a family reunion, didn't he? And there are so many people here! Maybe this really is the same Echizen family as our ochibi-chan! And that would mean that Rui-chan is probably one of ochibi-chan's cousins!"

That was probably the most reasonable explanation, but I couldn't completely believe it.

Suddenly, I heard clapping coming from behind me and turned around to see Atobe, wearing casual clothing similar to what Rui had been wearing, a pair of black sweatpants and a black tank top.

"Looks like at least one of you Seigaku idiots has a brain."

"Atobe! What are you doing here?" asked Momo and you could almost see Atobe sweatdrop at this.

"Didn't I tell you yesterday? I'm a part of Rui's family now, which means that for the time being, I live here."

"Wait a minute!" I said. "Then Ryoma is here too?"

"Sure," said Atobe nonchalantly. "He's upstairs, sleeping, this very moment."

"Really?" asked Eiji excitedly. "I wanna see ochibi-chan!"

"Whatever, but don't you guys have to listen to Nat explain the family history for the next few hours?"

"Nat?" asked Taka.

"Grandpa," said Atobe by way of explanation. "You know, head of the family."

"Aww! But I wanted to see ochibi-chan!" whined Eiji.

"Yeah, yeah, you can see him afterwards, okay? When he's woken up."

"Fine," said Eiji, pouting childishly.

* * *

**Ryoma**

"Ne, oyaji!" I called out to my father and he looked over. "Have you seen Keung?" I asked.

Shaking his head, he said, "Why? Something wrong?"

"Well…" I said, and explained the situation to him and he burst out laughing.

"Looks like you've gotten yourself into quite the pickle," he said.

"Never mind that!" I shouted. "Have you seen him or not?" I asked again.

He shook his head. "Sorry, gaki, haven't seen him all morning."

Turning around, I was about to run off to look for him when I bumped into someone.

Looking up, I saw that it was him and shouted, "Keung! Thank goodness! I've been looking everywhere for you!"

He laughed. "Well, you've found me. And I've got some news for you."

"News?" I asked.

"They think that you're one of 'Ryoma's' cousins."

_One of Ryoma's cousins?_ I thought. "Hmm, that's not a bad idea, actually," I said.

"And that sugar freak wants to see 'Ryoma' after their lecture with Nat."

I nodded. "I'll go get ready. Can you tell everybody about my situation? Make sure they don't call me Rui when I'm 'Ryoma'."

He nodded. "Yes ma'am!" he said, saluting.

"Baka!" I said, turning around and heading up to my bedroom to get ready for 'Ryoma's' appearance.

* * *

SkyeSyren: So, what did you guys think? Please review and tell me what you thought and I'll try to get the next chapter out soon.


	7. Related

**Ryoma**

After letting my hair out of its pigtails and replacing my spaghetti strap tank top with a black t-shirt, I still had lots of time left so I decided to do some training. Before leaving, I made sure to adopt the bored/confident expression that 'Ryoma' usually wore.

I passed a few people on my way to the training rooms and though some seemed surprised, most smiled and said hello to 'Ryoma.'

Getting to my destination, I blocked out everything around me, and moved through my stances.

* * *

**Fuji**

Nat's lecture took about two hours, but the time seemed to fly by. Their family history, traditions, and cultures were so interesting. At one point, we learned about how it was required for the females of the family to live as a boy for one year.

"Are there any at the moment?" asked Momo.

Nat nodded and said, "There are a few."

"What about Rui? Has she done it yet?" asked Eiji.

Nat just smiled calmly and said, "I'm sorry, but I can't give information like that without her permission. If you would like to know, you must ask her yourself."

"Do the governments know about the girls dressed as boys?"

Nat nodded.

"And they let them do it?"

Again, Nat nodded. "While living as a male, the girls have all the privileges of any other male. She is even allowed to join all boy teams. They get these privileges because our family are very powerful. We have strong connections in the governments of many countries."

Then, the lecture was over and we were sent off to explore the dojo with warnings of not disturbing anyone and not going into any of the rooms on the second floor without permission.

As soon as we exited the room, we saw Atobe waiting for us.

"Finally!" he exclaimed with a huff. "Come on. The gaki is waiting for you."

"Yay! I get to see ochibi-chan!" shouted Eiji.

"Follow me," said Atobe. "But stay quiet."

"How come, nya?"

"Because he's practicing his kung fu and needs to concentrate," said Atobe softly as he stopped at a door, turning back once to make a shushing gesture at us.

As we silently slipped into the room, everyone fell into a shocked silence.

* * *

**Ryoma**

Some time in the middle of my practicing, I noticed Keung slipping into the room, but it didn't really register in my mind until I was finished and he handed me a bottle of water.

"**Ah, thanks, Keung,"** I said.

"**No problem,"** he said. **"I brought the Seigaku guys."**

I looked over at where he was pointing and saw my team, all looking at me with their jaws on the floor.

Going over to Kaido, I waved my hand in front of his face, saying, "Earth to sempai! Anybody there?"

The first of them to snap out of it was Eiji who came over and hugged me so tight, I thought all my bones would break.

"Ochibi-chan!" he shouted at the top of his lungs. "I've missed you so much!"

"Eiji-sempai! Let go of me before I die!" I choked out.

He let go and I backed away a little.

Looking at him boredly, I said, "It's only been a week, sempai."

"But that's eight whole days!" he shouted. "It's pure torture!"

I couldn't help but giggle. "Same old Eiji-sempai. Anyways, let's go to the courtyard. Bao must be getting pretty lonely. I'm sure he would love to meet you, Kaido-sempai."

* * *

**Eiji**

Something seemed off about ochibi-chan, but I couldn't tell what.

"Ne, ochibi-chan, who's Bao?" I asked curiously.

"And why would anyone be happy to meet Mamushi?" interjected Momo.

"Shut up, baka momoshiri!" retorted Kaido and the two of them began bickering.

Ryoma giggled again and I couldn't help but think that he was acting a bit…girly.

"Follow me," he said in response to my question. "And I'll show you who Bao is."

We followed Ryoma to a very beautiful courtyard in the middle of the dojo.

"Bao!" he called walking down a pebbled path.

Suddenly, out of the underbrush, came a giant snake and headed straight for us.

"Gah!" I shouted trying to run away, pulling Ryoma and the others with me.

Laughing, Ryoma said, "Calm down, sempai, he's harmless."

The snake stopped just a few feet from us and Ryoma bent down to pet it's head. It seemed very affectionate.

The snake slithered up and around his neck and Ryoma turned towards us, wearing it like a scarf.

"Guys," he said. "This," he gestured towards the snake, "is our pet boa, Bao."

Suddenly, Momo burst out laughing and said, "So that's why you said he would be excited to see Mamushi! They're related!"

* * *

DemonicEmbrace: I know, I know. It's short, and I'm sorry, but it's pretty late here, and I have school tomorrow. I don't have much time to write. I hope you like this chapter, please review nadI'll see you all next time!


	8. One Year

**Fuji**

As Momo and Kaido began bickering, I asked Ryoma, "So, how did you guys get Bao?"

He smiled and said, "Well, when I was young, I used to come and stay here a lot. One time, when I was five, I was out exploring in the forest, and I found Bao. He was really injured, and, well, I like snakes, so I decided to bring him back with me. He's been living at the dojo ever since."

"Nya, he's very affectionate," said Eiji, reaching out his hand.

I laughed. "He is."

I stared at Ryoma. Something seemed a bit off about him. He was acting…happier than usual.

Turning towards me, Ryoma saw me staring at him and frowned a little. "Is there something wrong, sempai?"

I shook my head, smiling my usual smile. "Nandemonai."

We all stayed in the courtyard, talking, until it was time for us to go. While we were saying bye to Ryoma, his older brother appeared out of nowhere.

"Oi! Chibisuke!"

Turning around, Ryoma looked at him and said, "Nani?"

"Nat's calling for you!"

"Yeye? Why?"

I watched as Ryoga's eyes widened and he said, "Don't tell me you've forgotten what the day after tomorrow is?"

"What is it?" asked Ryoma, looking confused.

I listened closely, curious as to what they were talking about.

"It's the fifth of March!"

"Yeah. And?" asked Ryoma, still seeming confused.

"And," said Ryoga, drawing the word out, "it will have been exactly one year since **that** day."

I watched Ryoma's reaction as his eyes widened. "Shit! I've been so busy, I completely forgot!"

Then, he looked over at us with an odd expression on his face, and I couldn't help but wonder.

Turning back to his brother, he asked, "Is there any way yeye can postpone it?"

Ryoga shook his head. "Lan is really looking forward to it, and our aunts have already started preparing."

"And I suppose you guys are coming the day after tomorrow?" he asked, turning towards us.

I nodded.

Ryoma groaned. "I am so not looking forward to this."

"Nya, what's wrong, ochibi-chan?" asked Eiji, throwing his arms around the baby of our team.

"We're having a full day celebration on that day, for all the girls that will be completing their one year as guys. It's a huge event. Tomorrow all the women, except those the party is in honour of, will spend the day cooking, and the men will be setting things up, buying decorations and ingredients. As the next family head, I'm going to be incredibly busy all day."

This caught my attention. "You're going to be the next family head?"

He cursed under his breath, then said, "Yeah. I'm the one that's going to be succeeding the position as family head after yeye."

I was about to comment on that, when we were called away by the teacher.

Saying our goodbyes to Ryoma, we left.

* * *

**Ryoma**

When they were gone, I went to see Nat.

"You called, yeye?" I said, standing respectfully at the doorway.

Seeing me, he smiled, and said, "Come in, granddaughter, no need to be so formal."

I smiled, and went in, throwing myself onto his bed.

"What's up?" I asked.

He chuckled. "I called to inform you that tomorrow, your brother will take your place in preparing for the celebration. During the ceremony, too."

"Nani?" I said, surprised. "But I've always done the ceremony, and preparations!"

"Ah, but those were all for the other girls. This time, it is your own ceremony, and tradition dictates that you must take the day off, no matter that you are the next head."

"So I don't have to do anything?" I asked excitedly.

He shook his head, an amused twinkle in his eye. "All you have to do is relax, and possibly think of a way to this situation explain to your friends, hm?"

I groaned, remembering my dilemma.

"Yeye! Tell me what to do! At this rate, they're going to find out who I am! What if they hate me for it?"

"The only thing I have to tell you on this matter, granddaughter, is this. If truly they are your friends, they will accept you for who you are."

"Yeye! I need some practical advice!"

He chuckled again. "Then how about this. They will find out who you are sooner rather than later, so you must do your best so that it isn't so much of a surprise for them when they do find out that your are a girl. Prepare them for it, and that will make it easier for them to accept it."

I smiled, jumping to hug him. Planting a kiss on his cheek, I said, "Thank you yeye! I feel so much better now!"

* * *

DemonicEmbrace: Okay, so this chapter is a bit short, sorry. But anyways, you never expected that, now did you? Lol, please leave a review and tell me what you thought.

P.S. Who heard about the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan yesterday? Such a tragedy it is. I have friends over there, and I'm very worried for them. I've already sent donations and encourage you guys to do the same.

RIP Tsunami victims 03-11-11


	9. Scream

**Ryoma**

For the second morning in a row, I woke up late. Opening my eyes, I looked around the room, still half asleep, and noticed that someone had already brought a tray with a western style breakfast on it. It was still warm, so I guessed whoever it was had brought it only recently. After brushing my teeth and taking a shower, I devoured all the food and headed down after slipping into a pair of comfortable black shorts and a bright pink t-shirt I hadn't seen in a long time.

On my way to the courtyard, all I could see were my uncles and my male cousins, running around, setting up and getting ingredients and the like for the women, who were cooking in the kitchen. This year, it was Meimei and I who the party was in honour of.

Reaching the courtyard, I found Bao and, after an affectionate greeting, we were both on our way into the forest.

I knew it was strictly forbidden to go into the forest alone but Meimei was still asleep and everyone else was too busy. Anyways, I had Bao with me, and even though he had been domesticated, he was still a boa constrictor and from the looks of him, he was pretty strong too.

* * *

About an hour or so later, Bao and I had arrived at a small but gorgeous waterfall that I usually went to with my cousins. Plopping down at the edge of the pool, I took off my sandals and stuck my aching feet into the water.

Even though I had great stamina from playing tennis, I wasn't used to hiking on uneven ground for extended periods of time, so my feet hurt a bit. I used to hike all the time when I was a kid and still lived at the temple, but in the last five or six years, I had only been here twice.

I never actually realized how much I had missed it, being so close to nature and having Bao around had a calming effect on me. Just as I thought this, Bao slipped slowly into the water, all the while keeping a firm grip on my legs.

I smiled. Ever since he was young, Bao had always loved being in the water. It wasn't often that he got to come to this place and being here suddenly made him like a hatchling again.

As he entwined himself between and around my legs, I gently untangled him a little to make him more comfortable, all the while making sure he still had a hold on my legs. Even though he enjoyed being in the water, he usually stayed close to me, preferring to have something to grip onto.

After about five minutes, he climbed out and went to sleep under the shade of a nearby tree. I went over to sit beside him and eventually fell asleep too.

* * *

**Momo**

When we arrived at the temple, we were very surprised. Unlike yesterday, when there were many people around, today, there were no girls to be seen and the men that we did see were all rushing around, doing some task or another.

Before long, Nat came out and when he saw us, he smiled.

"Ah, the students of Seigaku. This is a wonderful opportunity. Would you all like to join in on our preparations today?"

"We would love to, Echizen-san," said Ryuuzaki-sensei. Within moments, all the girls had been taken to the kitchen and I found myself helping to carry boxes of supplies (of what, I wasn't sure) from the storage room to one large room we hadn't seen when they had given us the tour.

Apparently, this room was specifically used only for special ceremonies, such as the one they were holding tomorrow.

* * *

While the others and I were having our lunch break, we suddenly saw Ryoga, looking from side to side, as if he were searching for something…or somebody.

Spotting us, he came over and said, "Have you guys seen my imouto anywhere?"

"Imouto?" I asked, confused. "Since when do you have an imouto?"

His eyes widened and he said quickly, "Sorry, I meant my cousin, we're just so close, I sometimes call her imouto. Anyways, have you seen her anywhere?"

"Depends which cousin you mean," I say.

"Rui," he said. "I mean Rui. So, have you guys seen here anywhere?" he asked again.

At this, Eiji shook his head and said, "We haven't seen any females at all today! Aren't they all helping in the kitchen?"

He nodded. "They are, but Rui has a special part in tomorrow's celebration. She's not doing any work today."

I thought about where she might be.

"Have you checked the courtyard?" asked Kaido. "She might be there with the boa."

Ryoga nodded. "I've already checked there. Bao's gone too."

At that moment, Nat appeared on the scene.

"What is going on here, grandson?"

"Yeye!" he said, turning to his grandfather, looking relieved. "It's Rui! She's gone missing!"

Nat's eyes narrowed. "Missing?"

Ryoga nodded, suddenly looking apprehensive.

Suddenly, Nat looked fierce, as if he was barely able to keep his calm.

"If you can not find her here then surely she has gone into the woods. Send someone to go search for her!"

"I'll go," said a familiar voice and I turned to see Atobe standing there. "We've explored those woods a lot this past week. She's probably gone down to the waterfall. It will be easy to find her."

Nat seemed to calm down after hearing this. He nodded his head curtly and said, "But you should take someone with you. It is against the rules to go into the forest alone.

"I'll go!" I volunteered.

Nat turned to me and looked me up and down, as if deciding whether or not he should send me to rescue his precious granddaughter. Finally, a small, amused smile found its way onto his face and he nodded curtly.

Getting up, I bowed once to Nat then followed after Atobe who seemed strangely amused.

"Try to keep up," he said as we set off.

As we set off into the forest, I was surprised to see how quickly I became tired. I usually had very good stamina.

Atobe turned back to look at me and smirked. He didn't seem tired at all.

"What's wrong? Is your stamina really that little?"

I was about to retort when there was a loud scream.

Atobe's eyes widened and at the same time, we both said, "Rui!"

* * *

SkyGem: So, what did you all think? Please review, and tell me what you thought!


	10. Hachi

**Keigo**

With my heart in my throat, I flitted through the forest, barely avoiding crashing into a tree several times in my haste to get to Rui.

Finally, I broke into a small clearing and saw her sitting on the ground, cuddling a huge, pure white Akita dog.

Momoshiro broke into the clearing moments after me and the two of us just stood there in shock.

Finally, she noticed us there and said, "Hey, Kei-chan! Momo-sempai! Look at what I found!"

I frowned a little. "Why were you screaming just now?"

She just waved her hand dismissively. "He snuck up on me, so I thought he was a bear or something. But look! Isn't he just adorable?"

I looked at the dog who was about 3 feet tall, had mid-length white fur, and a curly, fluffy tail. His eyes were a deep and expressive black, but, upon closer expression, I saw that he wasn't completely healthy. His fur was dirty and he was so skinny his ribs were showing.

I went up to the two of them and bent down, offering my hand to the dog to smell. He just turned his head away, instead preferring to lick Rui's face gently.

She giggled and said, "I think he's been abandoned. Do you think we could take her home?"

"**But what about your cat?"** I asked in mandarin. Then, after a short pause, **"Where is she, anyway? I haven't seen her at all during our time here…"**

Replying in kind, she said, **"Ah, right! I forgot to tell you! She's pregnant!"**

"**What?" **I asked, completely blindsided.

"**Yeah! By the time we had to leave for the reunion, she was a week away from giving birth, so she couldn't make the trip with us. She's staying at home with Nanako-chan (who's not an Echizen) and will be arriving here with her kittens tomorrow!"**

I stared at her in exasperation for a minute, then shook my head and said, **"Anyways, like I was saying, I don't think he'll get along well with her."**

"**Oh, that's fine! She's lived with dogs before, she won't be afraid of him. And I'm sure I can train him not to attack her the moment he sees her! Now come on, let's take him home!"**

Momoshiro, who had until now been looking back and forth between the two of us confusedly, said, "What are you two talking about?"

"Ah?" said Rui. "Nandemonai. Anyways, let's take him home for now. I'll give him a bath and some food and he'll be right as rain!" Then, turning to Bao, she said, **"Come along, Bao."**

Together, the five of us (me, Momo, Rui, Bao, and the dog) walked back to the dojo and, after a scolding from yeye, Ryoma decided it was time for the Akita to have a bath.

* * *

**Ryoma**

As I scrubbed Hachi(that was what I had decided to name him)'s fur clean, I kept talking to him about different things and he listened quietly the whole time without barking. He was so gentle-mannered, I knew he and Karupin would get along really well.

After rinsing the suds out of his fur, he was practically glowing. He had become a new dog. The fact didn't change, though, that he was so very thin.

Suddenly, I heard a knock at the door, and Fuji came in bearing towels.

"Here," he said. "Your grandfather told me to bring these to you."

"Arigatou, Fuji-sempai," I said, and he looked a little taken aback.

"Sempai?" he asked, throwing me a quizzical look.

"A-ah!" I said, thinking frantically. "Well, that's Ryoma-kun is always calling you and the others, so I guess it just kind of caught on."

"I see…" said Fuji thoughtfully. Then, kneeling down, he (unknowingly) repeated what Atobe had done earlier and offered his hand to Hachi.

Once again, Hachi turned his head away, completely ignoring him.

I couldn't help but giggle at this.

Standing up, Fuji sighed and said, "Anyways, Rui-chan, do you want me to come with you to buy food for him?"

"Nani?" I asked.

"Well, since we, the students of Seigaku, helped out, all the preparations were done earlier than expected, so I don't need to help out anymore. I could come with you to buy food for the dog…umm…"

"Hachi," I said. "His name is Hachi."

Fuji smiled. "Yes, to buy food and other necessities for Hachi."

I blushed a little at this. When he smiled, he really did look very pretty.

"Uh, sure! I'd loved to!" I said.

"Great," said Fuji, smiling again.

I felt my heart race again and as the two of us headed out together, I couldn't look him in the eye.

The two of us were going alone. Did that mean this was a date?

I wasn't paying attention, though, but when next I noticed my surroundings, all my other sempai-tachi were there to and so were Keigo and Lee.

"You don't mind if we tag along, do you?" asked Momo, smiling mischievously.

I had to hold back a groan. And I had really been looking forward to it too…

* * *

SkyGem: It feels like lately my chapters have been getting shorter and shorter X(. Anyways, I know this chapter was pretty boring, but please do review and I'll try to update again tomorrow to make up for this lame update X(. Thanks again!


	11. Cat Out of the Bag

**Ryoma**

The next morning, I woke up extra early and, before doing anything else, I threw on a pair of flip-flops and headed out with Hachi on my heels.

Sitting underneath the tree closest to the road, I waited patiently for Nanako-chan to arrive so that I could finally see Karupin again and see her new litter.

Hachi, who had lain down with his head in my lap was wagging his tail back and forth seeming almost as excited as me.

Before long, I heard the telltale rumble of a far off car coming closer by the second. Now, my cousin's minivan had come into sight and I stood immediately.

I followed after as Nanako-chan parked in the parking lot and, when she climbed out and saw me, she threw her arms around me in an affectionate hug.

"Ryoma-chan!" she shouted, seeming happy to see me.

"Hey, Nanako-chan!" I greeted her back. "I've missed you!"

"Me too!" she said, then, seeing Hachi, she bent down and said, "Oh my gosh, he's adorable!"

She bent down to pet Hachi and, surprisingly enough, he didn't ignore her. In fact, he seemed quite friendly.

I smiled. "His name's Hachi. We just found him yesterday!"

Nanako just giggled and said, "Really, every time you come here, you pick up another stray. Isn't that how you found Karupin too?"

I shrugged my shoulders sheepishly. "I have a soft spot for animals."

She just giggled again then got up and motioned for me to follow her. Going to the back of the car, she opened up the trunk and I saw that she had flattened the back seats to make room for Karupin's basket.

"She had two healthy kittens, one male and one female," said Nanako.

As soon as Karupin saw me, she attacked me, knowing that her kits would be safe, even if she left them for a minute.

She curled up in my arms, purring and licking my cheek.

Placing a kiss on her cheek, I said, "I've missed you too, Karupin. I'm so glad the pregnancy went along fine. I wish I could have been there with you."

She just licked my cheek again as if to say that it wasn't a problem, then jumped back into the car and walked up to the basket where her kittens were.

The moment I saw them, I immediately fell in love with them.

The male looked just like his mother from what I could see with exactly the same markings, except for a peculiar white dot above his left brow. The female, though, was pure white, which made sense because their father was a white, doll-faced Himalayan that lived down the street from us.

As I became acquainted with the newest additions to our family, I didn't notice what was happening between Karupin and Hachi.

* * *

**Hachi**

I watched curiously as my new master interacted with this strange cat that had come from the strange car.

When the cat jumped out of Ryoma-sama's arms, they both focused on something inside the car.

I crept a bit closer, trying to see better, but almost immediately, the cat from before jumped to the ground in front of me and looked at me coolly.

"And who might you be?" she asked in a silky voice. I could tell that she was much older than me, and very precious to Ryoma-sama.

Having been raised with respect, I backed away a little, flattening my ears against my head and laying my tail flat against the floor.

"M-my name is Hachi," I said in a nervous voice.

The cat began walking circles around me, scrutinizing me with her sharp blue eyes.

"I see," she said. "And let me guess. Ryoma-sama found you in the woods and brought you here?"

I was amazed. "How did you know that?"

She looked at me amusedly then came and licked my nose affectionately. "You are still but a pup, and yet you have gone through much. Worry not, I came into Ryoma-sama's family in much the same way. She is a good master."

I began thumping my tail happily against the floor. "I know that!" I said excitedly. "I've only known her since the day before, but already she's been so wonderful to me!"

"I bet she has. By the way, I'm Karupin and those are my kits in there. They are not even a week old and none but Ryoma-sama may touch them. Do you understand, young one?"

I nodded my head meekly.

"Good," she said, giving a flick of her tail.

By now, Ryoma had taken hold of the basket the kittens were in and was preparing to head back into the building.

Smiling down at us, she hurried Karupin back into the basket with a smile. "I'm glad you two are such good friends already, but we have to go in now."

I barked happily and followed after her, all the while keeping a suitable distance from the basket in which the kittens were. I didn't want to upset Karupin.

From the corner of my eye, I felt the scrutiny of a pair of blue (human) eyes and turned to look at who they belonged to. It was one of the humans, the one that had brown hair and looked like a female. He had an odd expression on his face but I ignored him, following after my master.

* * *

**Momo**

It was the morning of the ceremony and Fuji had disappeared somewhere soon after we had arrived. He reappeared about ten minutes later and when I asked him where he had gone, he just replied with an absent expression.

Deciding to leave him alone, I turned back to my breakfast and rejoined the (loud) conversation currently being led by Eiji.

Later that day, about an hour or two before noon, everyone was told to gather in the assembly room and even the students of Seigaku were invited to look on.

We listened as Nat welcomed us all and began the opening words of the ceremony.

When he was done talking, he sunk back into the crowd and two women took up the "stage."

As I waited for them to begin talking, the large double doors of the room were opened and two beautiful young ladies came into the room dressed in traditional clothing.

I watched, fascinated, as they went up to the two women, their mothers I realized, and took their seats beside each other.

After that, another four women joined them.

Then, the women slowly combed out their daughters' hair and pinned it up in an intricate style.

After they were done, they stepped back and said in unison, "Echizen Meimei, Echizen Ryoma, on this auspicious day, you have completed one year in the world of men and are granted an adult's dress. It is time for you to stop behaving as children and to act as adults. Be sure to maintain dignity and achieve moral excellence. Wish you a long life and good fortune."

I was so shocked, it took everything I had to keep quiet and not interrupt the ceremony.

Looking over at the others, I saw that they were all just as shocked as I was, except for Fuji, who had a kind of blank look on his face.

When I turned to look back at the ceremony, it had already finished and the girls were both being congratulated.

When she saw me staring, Ryoma smiled hesitantly, guiltily, and came over…

* * *

SkyGem: Well, I redid the chapter, and this time I actually researched…..is it okay now? What did y'all think? Please do leave a review, ne?


	12. The Heart Truly is a Fickle Thing

SkyGem: Hey all! Thank so much for the reviews on last chapter, and also, I've changed the last bit of chapter 11 (the entire part in Momo's pov) and y'all probably read that before you read this chappi, or it won't make much sense…

* * *

**Ryoma**

"Ohayou, minna-san," I said as I approached them, smiling hesitantly.

Everyone just stared at me with blank looks, seeming to be in shock.

"Ryoma?" asked Momo.

I nodded.

"You're Rui?"

Another nod.

After a moment of awkward silence, Eiji suddenly tackled me out of the blue.

"Ochibi-chan's sooo pretty!"

Hearing that, I couldn't help but giggle.

Immediately, the mood lifted and the others were soon laughing along.

Suddenly, I felt someone staring at me and I turned to see Fuji-sempai staring at me with piercing blue eyes with an almost absent expression on his face.

Going up to him, I placed a hand on his arm, asking, "Sempai?"

Pulling away, he snapped, "Don't touch me!"

I stared at him with wide, hurt eyes and suddenly, his expression changed.

"I-I'm sorry…" he said, trailing off as if he didn't know what else to say. Then, he whipped around and ran off without another word.

The others looked at me sympathetically, and Tezuka, after throwing me a worried glance, ran after Fuji.

Eiji and Momo seemed to be trying to cheer me up, but I didn't really notice.

Then, I felt a protective arm wrap around my shoulders and looked up to see Keigo.

He smiled reassuringly at me, saying, "You know it wasn't your fault."

"I-I know," I said, feeling tears well up in my eyes. "B-but, Fuji-sempai probably hates me now."

His only response was to pull me closer as I buried my head into his chest, letting the tears slip silently down my face.

By now, others had noticed what was going on and I heard the concerned voices of my family, asking if I was alright.

Keigo just turned them all away, saying, "She and her friends have just had a little quarrel, she'll be fine in a few minutes. You guys go help get the food ready. We'll be out in a few minutes."

* * *

**Ryoga**

Furious, I left the ceremony room to look for Fuji, the one who had caused my sister to cry. Normally, I would have immediately gone to comfort her, but I knew that she would be fine with Keigo there.

Finally finding the effeminate brunette, I went up to him.

His eyes widened as I walked up to him and punched him straight across the face (not enough to bruise him of course, Ryoma would kill me if I did).

He brought up his hand to cup his cheek, his eyes wide. "R-Ryoga-san?" he asked in a bewildered voice.

"This was supposed to be a day of celebration for my imouto, for completing her one year as a guy. She was supposed to be happy and laughing, how dare you make her cry!" I shouted at him and his eyes widened even more.

"Ryoma-chan is crying?" he asked, his voice full of regret.

"Of course she is!" I shouted. "What, did you think she would be happy that the guy she liked said something like that to her?"

"L-likes?" he spluttered, a bright blush forming on his cheeks.

"Oh, come on!" I shouted. "How can you be so dense! Of course she likes you! And then you went and said that to her! I demand you go and apologize to her!"

"H-hai," he said, seeming a bit taken aback and suddenly, all my anger drained out of me. He had probably just been shocked.

As he turned to run off, I stopped him, saying, "Fuji!"

Stopping, he looked at me questioningly and I smirked.

"You're free to ask her out, but if you ever make her cry again, I'm going to make you wish you'd never been born!"

His blush intensified and he nodded once to me, then turned and walked off.

* * *

**Fuji**

I hesitated slightly as I came in sight of Ryoma and Keigo; the others had apparently disappeared.

When they finally realized I was there, Keigo glared and Ryoma just looked at me with puffy red eyes.

"What do you want?" snapped Keigo.

"I want to talk to Ryoma," I said.

Keigo looked as if he were about to refuse, but I turned my eyes on Ryoma, looking at her pleadingly.

Seeming to get my message, she said, "Keigo, can you leave us for just a minute?"

"Wha-?" asked Keigo, seeming surprised. "But Ryoma-!"

"Please?" she said again, looking up at him with pleading eyes.

Sighing, he said, "Fine. Call me if you need anything, ne?"

After Ryoma had nodded yes, he threw me one last glare then left.

When he was gone, I turned to look at Ryoma and found she was staring at me.

Not knowing what else to do, I bowed deeply, saying, "Gomenasai, Ryoma-chan! I-I didn't mean to make you cry! I was just…shocked."

Ryoma didn't say anything for a long time, and when I finally peeked up at her to see her expression, I saw that she was crying again.

"R-Ryoma-chan?" I asked worriedly.

"I-I was so scared," she said in a shaky voice. "I-I thought sempai hated me!"

Sighing, I went up to her and, as I had seen Atobe do many times before, I wrapped my arms around her and laid a kiss on her forehead.

"There's no way I could ever hate you, Ryoma-chan. I love you."

She froze at this then looked up at me with wide, tearful eyes. "R-really?" she asked disbelievingly.

Then, she smiled beautifully and leaned closer, closing the space between our faces until our lips were only approached.

As she hesitated, seeming unsure of herself, I closed the gap, kissing her light as a feather at first, then deepening it until I felt there was nothing else in the world but the two of us.

When I pulled away, I smiled at her and she smiled shakily back, then rested her head against my chest, her arms going around me and clutching at the fabric of my shirt.

"I love you," she said and I felt breathless with happiness.

"As do I."

_**The End**_

* * *

**~Omake~**

As the purple haired teen watches his adopted cousin profess her love for her sempai, he feels a great sadness well up within him. He has known all along that her affections for him are strictly those of family, but still, he had hoped. Now, that hope has been crushed. As he watches on, his heart getting torn to pieces, he suddenly feels a hand on his shoulder and looks up.

"Meimei…" he says in a small voice.

She smiles softly and bends down to kiss him gently on the cheek. "Better to have loved and lost then to never have loved at all."

The teen laughs and says, "Couldn't think of something more original?"

The girl smiles and says, "How about this: when one door closes, another opens."

The boy is about to laugh when he realizes the full implications of what she has just said.

She smiles mysteriously and, before he can ask her what she meant, she has disappeared.

He is disappointed at first, then smiles slightly.

"The heart truly is a fickle thing."

* * *

SkyGem: Oh my kami, it's finally done! I cannot believe it! Princess of What is done! And I can't believe I chose Thrill over Royal! That is soo weird, since I usually prefer Royal...but Thrill is what the readers voted for in the poll, so Thrill is what they got! I hope y'all liked it, ne? Thank you all so much for staying with this story so long, and please, do leave one last review and tell me what you thought, and if you haven't, go check out some of my other stories, ne? Sayonara, minna-san! Hope to see you all again. *Bow*

P.S. I know most of you are probably going to ask for a sequel and my answer is...I'll think about it, but it can only be maybe a three-shot or a four-shot. If y'all have any ideas for a sequel, send 'em in!


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